


Chronicles Of The Teleri

by telperion_15



Category: The Silmarillion - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Drama, Expanded Canon, Gen, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-10
Updated: 2010-06-10
Packaged: 2017-10-10 01:22:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/93668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/telperion_15/pseuds/telperion_15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An expanded version of the journey of the Teleri across Middle-Earth to Valinor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

We are the Teleri. Those that tarried. Those that waited. Those that were last. These are the names that were given to us. Because we were reluctant. Because we were unwilling to leave our home. Middle-earth. We felt the longing like the others. The lure of Valinor had no less effect on us than it did on the Vanyar and Noldor. But we loved the forests and rivers of Middle-earth and were loath to leave them. Is that so hard to understand? That we would miss the place of our birth, the place where we first awoke to behold the stars of Varda?

In the end we did leave. We crossed the Sundering Seas, and came at last into the light of the two trees. But our journey was long and eventful, and full of much toil and sorrow.

This is our story.


	2. Cuiviénen

We are the firstborn children of Ilúvatar. Long have we walked by the Waters of Awakening, gazing in wonder at the works of heaven and earth. Content in this land of trees and water.

But all that has changed now. For on this day our Lord Elwë has returned, as have the other Elven lords Ingwë and Finwë, bringing with them the glow of the two trees of Valinor. And that is not all that accompanies them from that hallowed land. For leading their return is Oromë, the huntsman of the Valar, astride his great steed Nahar. And the awe that he inspired was such that, even though we had beheld him before, when he came to guide our Lords to the Blessed Realm, we bowed before him and were afraid.

But the Lords Elwë, Ingwë and Finwë bade us rise, and we listened in wonder as they spoke with eloquence of the Undying Lands, the fair city of Valmar, residence of the Valar, and especially of Telperion and Laurelin, the two trees of Valinor, far surpassing in beauty the fair woods of Cuiviénen. And as we listened, we were overcome with the desire to see the land of Valinor, to behold the trees of light, and to know the wise and beneficent Valar.

And then Oromë spoke, and his voice seemed to come from the roots of the mountains and the heights of the heavens all at once, and it set the air a-tremble. And he repeated the summons of the Valar, and we hearkened to it, and were eager to depart. Then Oromë named the elves in our own tongue – the Eldar, the People of the Stars.

But this name was not given to all the elves. For there were those who would not undertake the long journey to the Undying Lands. They did not wish to leave the starlit mere of Cuiviénen, preferring the twilight of Middle-earth to the rumour of the golden beauty of Valinor. And there was much sorrow amongst elvenkind when we learned that not all were to accompany Oromë. Many of us that would go sought to persuade those that would stay to alter their choice. But they would not be prevailed upon. And so they were named the Avari, the unwilling.

The hour of departure drew near, and we all made ready to leave. Three hosts were assembled for the great journey. We, the kindred of Elwë, were the largest of them. The kindreds of Ingwë and Finwë made up the smaller hosts. At our head sat Oromë on Nahar, for he was to lead us. At our backs stood the Avari, come to bid us farewell. We parted from them in friendship, wishing them luck for the future, as they did for us and our journey. And then they melted away, vanishing from sight among the trees. And we were sundered from them for many long ages.

As we departed, the three hosts turned for one last glimpse of Cuiviénen, our birthplace and home. All among us felt a small sting of regret, and a few sang songs of sorrow and mourning. Then, as one, we turned our faces to the West, and as we did so we felt a lightening of our hearts. Oromë spurred Nahar forward and we followed him. We had begun our journey.


	3. Helcar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although the whole eastern area of Middle-earth is known as Palisor before the change of the world, the area north of the Inland Sea of Helcar between the woods of Cuiviénen and Greenwood the Great (later known as Mirkwood) doesn't have a specific name, so I decided to name it after the inland sea and call it the Plains of Helcar.

Behind us is Cuiviénen. Ahead is the unknown. We have already travelled many leagues from our birthplace – around us is the wide expanse of the Plains of Helcar. To the south of us is the inland sea that bears the same name. But not even we the Teleri, ever the closest in harmony with the waters of Middle-earth, could distinguish the familiar sound of waves lapping the shore, despite the profound silence that hung around us. And the silence was complete indeed. For here on the plains there was not even the sound of rustling leaves, for there was not a tree in sight. And we were troubled.

But Oromë ever encouraged us onward, bringing joy and anticipation into our hearts whenever he spoke of the fair land of Valinor.

However, there came a day when not even the words of the Vala could dispel out uneasiness. Although we had at this time travelled far from Cuiviénen, we had traversed but a very small part of the Plains of Helcar. And before us, in the North, there hung a mass of dark clouds and smoke. And Oromë told us it was the fumes from the ruins of a great war. But more than that he would not say, although we now understood what had made the earth shake beneath us and the sky light up in the North many years since.

But it was not the rumour of war that brought fear into our hearts, for that conflict was long since over and we trusted to the might of the Valar to protect us. Rather it was the remains of such a battle that unnerved us. For the black fumes clouded the sky and obscured the stars of Varda, making travel in that direction seem ominous and forbidding.

And so we halted, fear and confusion replacing the joy we had taken in our journey. And it took many persuading words and reminders of the light of the two trees from our Lord Elwë before we would continue.

However, once again there was separation among us. For some, the fear instilled by the darkness was too great, and overshadowed their desire to see the fair land of Valinor. So they turned aside from our journey, wishing to return to Cuiviénen and rejoin the Avari. And in this way the great host of the Teleri was much reduced, although more than half still followed Oromë. Nor was it only Teleri who turned back. Some of the Noldor, the kindred of Finwë, also forsook the westward journey, as some had at the first sundering in Cuiviénen, belying somewhat the wisdom given to them in name, as they would in years to come. Only the Vanyar of Ingwë’s kindred seemed immune to the unease that flowed among us. Their name of Fair Elves suited them well, for they were unshaking in their belief that they would eventually reside in the golden light of Valinor, no matter how many obstacles were placed in their path.

So yet more of our number left us, returning to the shadows, forgotten until such time as Ilúvatar sees fit to reunite us. And we moved on from the place of our hesitation unwillingly, saddened by our separation.

And that was not the only time we hesitated on that long, weary traversing of the Plains of Helcar. For there were times when Oromë had to leave us, having other matters to attend to. And without his shining figure to guide us the darkness ahead seemed deeper and more complete.

So when he left us we halted our journey until he should return. But these periods of rest were not comforting to us. For although Oromë always left us when we chanced to be near trees, a rarity on that lonely plain, and sometimes a river, so that we could take comfort from our surroundings, our unease never left us. Despite the welcome familiarity of rustling leaves and chattering, bubbling water, always behind these sounds hung the deep silence of the plains, reminding us of how far we had come, and how far we still had to go. And always the black fumes and ruin of war lingered in the northern sky, and the absence of the Vala made them seem ever more ominous and threatening, although our Lord Elwë attempted to banish our fears with more tales of the beauty and wonder of Valinor.

But ever and anon Oromë would return to us, ready to take up leadership again and guide us onward in the next stage of our journey. Many leagues we travelled in this manner, and it took us many years to travel them. However, there came a day when we suddenly perceived that our wearisome journeying over the sweeping, empty Plains of Helcar would soon be at an end. For on the horizon, below the clouded sky, there rose a forest.


	4. Eryn Galen

We were overjoyed to see such a forest after our many years of exposure on the Plains of Helcar. Such was its size that it rivalled even the mighty forest on the shore of the inland sea, of which Cuiviénen was a part. Eager to be within the shelter of trees again, we hastened onward, and reached the forest soon after we had first sighted it.

The music of the trees greeted us as we took our first steps under their boughs, and so happy were we to be amongst them that we replied with many songs of our own.

Our journey through the Greenwood was lingering and full of halts, as had been our travelling over the plains. But whereas previously we had tarried through fear and unease, we now simply did not wish to forsake such familiar surroundings straight away. Many elves dispersed throughout the forest to explore and wander the avenues of oak, elm and pine.

But as we drew near the far eaves of the forest, the three hosts came together again, aware that the shelter of the woods could not last forever. And as we emerged again from the trees, we beheld a river, wide and deep, and beyond it, towering up to the clouds in many jagged peaks, a mighty mountain range – the Hithaeglir.

And now a hard choice lay before us. For although our desire to see Valinor had not lessened, we were enchanted by this Eryn Galen and its sister in nature the Great River. The hosts of Ingwë and Finwë faced no such dilemma. They wished immediately to cross the river and face the Towers of Mist.

Eventually, we made our choice and decided to remain on the east bank of the river. Part of our reasoning was indeed the beauty of our surroundings, and our joy at being in a place so like our original home of Cuiviénen. But we also looked with fear upon the Hithaeglir. For although we could see in them a majestic beauty, they also seemed to us cruel and threatening, an ominous obstacle in our westward journey.

But the Vanyar and Noldor would continue onwards, with Oromë still as their guide. And so came the second sundering of the elves, and it was at this time that we first earned the name of Teleri. For truly we did tarry, and it was many long years before we met with our kindred again.

After the departure of the Vanyar and Noldor we set about making a life and home for ourselves in that peaceful place. We dwelt under the eaves of the Greenwood, both on the ground, and high in the trees on flets constructed in the branches. Long and happily we lived there, exploring more fully the forest around us, and sitting in quiet contemplation by the Great River, its music inspiring us in the creation of our own.

However, our life was not completely uneventful during that time. For once again not all chose to remain with us. Our Lord Elwë had a brother named Olwë who shared his leadership. Those elves whom Olwë led were ever last on the road, lured by their destination and all they had left behind alike.

And it came to pass that, after many years of living in the shadow of the Hithaeglir, some unrest arose in the host of Olwë. One called Lenwë decided to forsake completely our westward journey, although by this time we had not made any movement west for many decades. However, although he did not wish to continue west, nor did Lenwë wish to return to the east. Instead, he desired to explore more fully the wonders of Middle-earth, and so he would lead those who followed him away to the south.

Once again we pleaded with those who would leave us to remain. Elwë and Olwë, especially, sought to persuade Lenwë to stay, hoping that without a leader those who would go south would rethink their decision. But Lenwë would not be persuaded, and so yet more of our number left us. The once mighty host of the Teleri had now dwindled to no more than half its original size.

And the people of Lenwë were ever after called the Nandor, those who turn back. Long were their wanderings in Middle-earth, and although they eventually came to the west of that land, they never crossed the Sundering Seas, and we never met them again in that world.


	5. Hithaeglir

We lived for many years under the eaves of Eryn Galen within sight of the Great River, and we were happy and contented. But we never forgot our desire to travel to Valinor, and as the years passed, that desire, which had been dulled somewhat by our initial pleasure in the Greenwood, grew strong in us again, and we began to think of continuing our journey. In this we were urged by our Lord Elwë, who was anxious to return to the Blessed Realm, being the only one among us who had beheld the light of the two trees. He also felt great sorrow in his separation from Finwë, lord of the Noldor, for he had been close in friendship with him, and so much desired to meet with him again.

But in order to continue on to the West, we had to face the obstacle of the Towers of Mist. We had lived in the shadow of the Hithaeglir for many years, and although we had not truly lost our fear of them, we had grown used to living so close to them. But now, knowing they must be conquered, we looked upon them again with apprehension, and they seemed to tower over us like never before.

Crossing the Great River proved to be a much easier task than crossing the mountains would be. Although we had never set foot on its western bank, we had enjoyed a close relationship with the river, and had spent much time paddling about on it in elven boats, crafted from hewn tree trunks. However, our boats were small, and although we had many it was long ere all the Teleri stood on the opposite shore of the river.

Looking back across the water at the forest that had become our home, we felt a twinge of regret as we had when we had left Cuiviénen. But even from only the other side of the river Eryn Galen looked already hazy and indistinct to our eyes, and we knew it was a sign that we could not now turn back. And we knew it might be years again before we had another settled home.

Within a few days we were travelling through the rocky foothills of the mountains. This close the Hithaeglir seemed even more forbidding, but we resolutely put our thoughts of the climb ahead out of our minds, determined to simply conquer each obstacle as we came to it.

And there were obstacles aplenty. The difficult and unsteady terrain was the first of these, but as we climbed higher, the biting clod that numbed our bodies, and punishing winds that threatened to blow us off our narrow path became our primary concerns. And as our upward route became steeper and steeper, we began to think that the Towers of Mist towered indeed all the way to the heavens.

But there was indeed an uppermost point to our ascent, where our path cut its way along the side of a tall and jagged summit. Sheer cliffs rose above us to our right, and to our left dropped away into a deep crevasse. Our journey through that high and narrow pass would have been dangerous enough in good weather, such as it was in the mountains. But all the while we shuffled our way along, a storm raged overhead. Lightning danced among the peaks, and the crashes of thunder seemed to rend the very air, echoing among the rocks long after they had died out in the sky.

The nightmare of the Hithaeglir seemed without end, but at last there came a time when our path began to lead downwards instead of up. Our hearts lightened at this, but they were also filled with anticipation. For the Towers of Mist lived up to their name, and we walked among peaks wreathed in cloud. So it was long ere we were able to behold the country we were descending into.

But when the mists finally parted before us we perceived that below us lay a green and pleasant land, not the desolate wasteland much like the Plains of Helcar that we had been dreading. A patchwork of grasslands and woods, downs and moors stretched as far as the eye could see, and far to the west, on the very horizon, was a blue line that we knew must be the sea, the great ocean that sundered Middle-earth from Valinor, which Oromë had spoken of. And that sight made us more eager than ever to continue our journey.

But before we could reach the sea, or even the beckoning comfort of the green land below us, we had to descend the western side of the Hithaeglir, a task no less perilous than the ascent had been

It was long ere we came to warmer climes again. It has been said throughout history that elves can only die through grievous injury or great sorrow, but truly we felt that our struggle over the mountains had brought us close to death. We were sorely in need of a place to rest, for although the sight of the distant sea had renewed our vigour somewhat, we knew that we could not travel onward indefinitely without stopping.

As we came to the lowest foothills of the mountains, we perceived we were in a land of moors and fast, chattering rivers. This discouraged us greatly, for the place looked too like the Plains of Helcar, and we realised that the grass and woodlands we had seen from the mountains were still far off.

But following one of the rivers that flowed swiftly down from the foothills, we discovered a narrow valley, hidden from sight in the flat expanse of the moors, into which the river fell steeply in a series of waterfalls. We instantly realised that this was the refuge we had been searching for, and eagerly did we descend the valley’s steep sides, wanting nothing more than to rest and forget the hardships of the Hithaeglir.


	6. Eriador

Although in later ages the hidden valley would become an important refuge for the elves left in Middle-earth, we the Teleri spent only a few weeks there, recovering from our ordeal in the Hithaeglir and gathering our strength for the next stage of our westward journey.

As ever, though, we were reluctant to leave a place of such peace and beauty. The music of the waterfalls was unlike anything we had heard before, but much as it enchanted us, for once that wonder could not distract us from our goal, for our glimpse of the still far distant sea was still fresh in our minds, drawing us onward.

So we set out to continue our journey, and although we were at first disheartened by the bleakness of the land we travelled through, the wild, rocky moors soon gave way to pleasanter country, full of trees and grassland. Away to the south of us was the great mass of a forest, but for once we were not tempted to go to it. Only once did it draw near to our path, but even then it was only a spur of trees jutting out from the main body of the forest, and it was still too far away to distract us from our journey.

The land we walked in was one of rolling hills and small stands of woodland, soothing and comforting us even as we passed through it and on to a new mountain range that loomed again in the west.

All too soon we left the green country and were once more in barren mountain foothills. However, unlike the Hithaeglir, these new mountains seemed not to tower over us, menacing us with their height. Indeed, even close to they seemed shrouded in a blue haze, making them indistinct to our eyes, whereas the Towers of Mist had been all threatening heights and jagged peaks.

So we named these mountains Ered Luin, and although they presented us with another obstacle in our journey, we did not fear them as we had the Hithaeglir.

And as we climbed further into the foothills, we perceived we were right not to be afraid of the Blue Mountains. For although their peaks towered into the sky, there were many low passes and valleys between them, making our passage through them far easier than our trials in the Hithaeglir.

And so we passed out of Eriador and into a new land, one that was to be a home for us for many long years, though at that time we knew it not.


	7. Gelion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In 'The Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-earth' by Karen Wynn Fonstad, no forest is shown in the lands of Thargelion or Ossiriand, but I needed a reason why the Teleri would stop for so long in these places (none is given in 'The Silmarillion'), and the easiest way to do this was to make them seem as homelike as possible. Besides, I can't imagine that these places were devoid of trees in any case, especially since the Green-elves dwelt in Ossiriand in later years.

Passing out of the Ered Luin we beheld yet another new land, green and pleasant like Eriador that we had just left, and also with great forests like Eryn Galen where we had lived for so long. But strangely we felt greater kinship with this new land than we had with either the rolling countryside of our travelling or the Greenwood that had been a home to us. We felt a connection to this place that we had not felt the like of since we had dwelt in our birthplace of Cuiviénen.

As we descended from the mountains we entered the first of the great forests we had espied from the heights. And behold! It was more like Cuiviénen than we had at first perceived. Our road led us alongside a river falling steeply from the foothills. And we named this river Ascar, for it seemed to us to be a rushing, impetuous entity, impatient to reach its destination. And that destination we discovered after several days of travelling to be another river, the Gelion, wider and slower moving than Ascar, reminding us of the Great River that had flowed on the western boundary of Eryn Galen. But more than anywhere this land of trees and rivers reminded us of our birthplace, and we felt a peace settle on us that we had not truly known since leaving the Waters of Awakening.

So drawn were we to this place that once again we chose to halt in our westward journey, settling in Thargelion. Our first years in our new home were devoted to exploring the country about us. To the north we discovered that an arm of the mountains jutted out from the main range of the Ered Luin, preventing further exploration. To the south we found the landscape to be much like the one the one we had settled in. Indeed, we named it Ossiriand, ‘the land of Seven Rivers’, for besides Gelion and Ascar, we discovered five more tributaries flowing down from the Blue Mountains: Thalos, Legolin, Brilthor, Duilwen, and Adurant.

However, although we moved freely throughout Thargelion and Ossiriand, for many years we were reluctant to cross the River Gelion and explore the lands that lay on its further banks. We were loath to give up our new home, uncertain whether we would find another like it further west.

Eventually though, certain of our people who volunteered were sent across the river, being instructed to discover all they could about the land to the west, and above all to try and gain tidings of our kin the Vanyar and the Noldor. These scouts were gone for a long time, so long indeed that we began to fear that some terrible fate had befallen them and the lands between us and the sea were truly perilous.

However, return they finally did, and they brought news of those we especially wished to hear of. Immediately to the west of Gelion, they said, lay a great plain of grassland, a place for travelling and not living. Beyond this was another massive forest, and it was here that they had gained tidings of our kindred, for many of the Noldor lived in the eastern reaches of this forest. The scouts had gone no further than this, but the Noldor had told them that the Vanyar inhabited the western part of the woods, beyond a river named Sirion, and in Nan-Tathren, ‘the Land of Willows’, further south on that same river. Elsewhere beyond their forest home the plains began again, their slope down to the sea interrupted only by ranges of rocky hills.

It seemed to us that there was no better home for us than where we currently resided, so we chose to remain in Thargelion. Our Lord Elwë, however, was well-pleased to find that Finwë remained in Middle-earth still, and he immediately set forth to a joyful reunion with his friend.

After this Elwë went often to visit Finwë, catching up on many years of separation. His sojourns in the forest home of the Noldor were lengthy, and thus we did not immediately worry when one extended for longer than those previously. But as the extra days turned to weeks, we began to wonder at our lord’s absence. For although he spent much time with Finwë, he never forgot that he was Teleri, and did not neglect us.

Finally, our concern over Elwë’s absence became fear for his safety, and Olwë his brother sent messengers to Finwë, asking if some injury had befallen him so that he could not return to us. But the messengers brought back far worse news, for Finwë had told them that the Lord Elwë had departed his company many weeks since, and therefore should have arrived home long before now. But he had not, and we were afraid for him.

And so we searched for him. Many who had been reluctant to cross the Gelion previously now did so without a second thought, scouring the plains west of the river, and the great forest where dwelled the Noldor and Vanyar. Some of our number even went south down the River Sirion to Nan-Tathren, to ask those of the Vanyar who desired to live closer to the sea if they had had any tidings of our lord. But all of our searching was in vain, for Lord Elwë was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had vanished from the face of Middle-earth.

The loss of our lord was a severe blow to us, for as well as being well-loved by all, he was the only one among us who had beheld the light of Valinor, and without him we were leaderless in our journey to the Blessed Realm.

But this was not the only blow dealt us. In seeking guidance from Finwë about the Lord Elwë’s disappearance, we were dismayed to discover that both the Noldor and the Vanyar had suddenly vanished from their great forest home. Only one circumstance could have caused such a desertion – a summons to Valinor.

However, our knowledge of this summons came too late, for we knew we could never hope to catch up with our kindred before they travelled over the sea. Still, we perceived that the time had come to move on again.

But there were those among us who did not wish to leave off their search for the Lord Elwë, and so they remained in the wooded lands around the River Gelion. So, taking Olwë to be our lord, the rest of us left our home once more and moved west and south down the Sirion, knowing that we were too late, and yet hoping that the Valar would not forsake us.


	8. Sirion

As we moved southward along the River Sirion, we knew that our journey would bring us to within sight of the Great Sea, Belegaer, an event that we looked forward to with both excitement and trepidation. We knew that our kindred the Vanyar and the Noldor must have passed over the sea on their own journey to Valinor, but still we were apprehensive about confronting what could be the greatest obstacle to our reaching the Blessed Realm.

But the reality surpassed even our greatest expectations. For when we reached the great delta that is the Mouths of Sirion, we beheld a sight more wondrous than any we had yet seen in our travels. The vision of the glittering, shifting water, coupled with sound of the waves on the shore immediately captured our hearts, and we felt a joy such as we had not experienced since we had first awoken to behold the stars of Varda shining in the heavens. We had ever been enamoured of water in all its guises, but our love of the sea transcended even that we had for the Waters of Awakening, where we had first come into the world. But, despite our love, we perceived that we had been correct; that Belegaer was a mighty barrier in our westward journey, one we might not overcome without the help of some higher power.

So, once again, we halted in our journey, and made a home for ourselves beside the Mouths of Sirion. But, unlike our home in Thargelion, we hoped that the Havens of Sirion would be but a temporary abode, and that the Valar would soon heed our desire to join our kindred in Blessed Realm.

For a long while we waited, but still the Valar did not appear to us, and we began to despair. But we were not to be left entirely alone on this forsaken shore. For two of the Maiar, the servants and helpers of the Valar, came to us from the sea, and we petitioned them to help us. However, although mighty beings, Ossë and Uinen could not bring us to Valinor – the granting of such a request was the province of the Valar alone. So instead they became our teachers, telling us many things about the great ocean that we had come to love. Uinen taught us of calm seas and steady currents, and how the sea could be a kindly and helpful entity, and for her gentleness and compassion we loved her. But it was Ossë that we revered most, for he taught us the music of the ocean, and thus we were able to pour our love of the waves and the water into our songs, and they became more delightful to the ear than ever before.

But although we were grateful to Ossë and Uinen for their teachings, and ever after they were venerated by us, it was the Valar that we truly longed to meet, for then we would know that our journey could continue, and we could pass over the sea to Valinor.


	9. Belegaer

Long had we dwelt by the Mouths of Sirion before we were able to continue our westward journey. Although we rejoiced in the company and teachings of Ossë and Uinen, we were continually turning our gaze out over the wide waters of Belegaer so that we might perceive the coming of the Valar to take us to Valinor. And eventually they did come (we leant afterwards that it had been due to the persuasion of Finwë, the friend of our Lord Elwë). The appearance of Ulmo was dreadful to behold, rising as he did out of the waves of the Great Sea, but we were not afraid, and we beseeched him to carry us to the Undying Lands.

But Ossë, our teacher of many years, grieved when he discovered that we were to leave him. We petitioned him to join us on our journey, but that was not possible, for he was unable to leave the shores and seas of Middle-earth, being unwilling to leave them to the care of another. There were some of our number, however, who were as unwilling to leave Ossë as he was to part with them. And these he persuaded to stay on the shores of the Hither Lands, and although we grieved that yet more of our kin should be lost, we saw that they were happy in their choice, and did not begrudge them it. Ever after they were known as the Falathrim, and they became the greatest shipbuilders in Middle-earth.

But these were not the only members of our race to remain behind in Middle-earth. For the closest kin of Elwë were loath to leave him behind, not wishing to travel to Valinor without their Lord, and yet not wishing to forsake the chance to see the Two Trees. Eventually, however, their love for Elwë proved the stronger, and they forsook the westward journey, although only for a time, as they hoped. But they became the Eglath, the Forsaken People, and ever after they could not bear to look upon the sea, the sight of which filled them with sorrow and a longing for the Blessed Realm.

The rest of us, however, led by Olwë, embarked on the next stage of our journey, and were drawn across the Great Sea Belegaer on the Isle of Balar, the same way, as we later learnt, that our kindred the Vanyar and the Noldor had reached the Undying Lands. As the shoreline of Middle-earth faded away behind us, some of us grew uneasy, thinking of the green and pleasant land we had forsaken, and all of our kin that had been left behind. Once again we were apprehensive about what was to come, and the dark and shifting waters of Belegaer did nothing to calm our fears, reminding us only of how far we had to travel, and our lack of knowledge of what we would find when we got there.

But then Ulmo spoke to us, and soothed our fears, reminding us that when we reached Valinor we should be reunited with our kin, and would finally behold the two trees Telperion and Laurelin, the lure of which had kept us on our journey for so long. And we were comforted, and when we eventually beheld on the horizon the Pelóri, on the shores of the Blessed Realm, we felt as if we were finally coming home.


	10. Tol Eressëa

As we approached the shores of Valinor, our sense of homecoming increased, although there were many among us who could not help but think still of all that we had left behind, and we could not help but regret, just a little, the loss of Middle-earth, and our kin, and our friends. Thus there was great rejoicing when we perceived, as we entered a great bay on the coast of the Undying Lands, that our friend and teacher Ossë had after all followed us from Middle-earth. Joyfully did we greet him, even more so when we learnt that he had come to petition Ulmo not to completely sunder us from the world we had left behind. For he requested that the Vala would anchor the Isle of Balar in the bay where it now floated, so that we would still have contact with the sea, and Ossë the Lord of the Waves.

This request did Ulmo readily grant, for on our long journey across the Sundering Seas, he had learnt something of our hearts and minds, and knew that we dearly loved the sea and its music, and the stars in the heavens. And we had also learnt something of his mind, for we had discovered that he had from the very beginning opposed the summons of the Eldar to Valinor, and although we could not completely agree with him, we were happy that he should understand our wish not to forsake those things that we loved.

So the Isle of Balar was left floating upon the sea in the bay of Valinor, which was named the Bay of Eldamar, or Elvenhome. And the isle itself was also given a new name, Tol Eressëa, the Lonely Isle. And an appropriate name it came to be.

We dwelt for many years alone on the isle, content to be within sight of the Blessed Realm, and yet more so to still be near the sea and under the stars of Varda. And although we did not know it, the long years in which we dwelt apart from our kindred the Vanyar and the Noldor, sundered us from them more completely than ever before, and we became almost as a separate race.

In those long years our arts progressed, and our music of the sea and the stars became more wonderful than ever, haunting the air with its melodic strains. And we made our island home bloom with far greater beauty than in Middle-earth, for the proximity of Blessed Realm and the Two Trees encouraged all manner of flowers and trees to thrive.

But eventually our love for the sea and the stars began to wane somewhat, and although we knew that we could never completely forsake them, our closeness to Valinor began to assert a strong influence on our hearts. For we perceived that, behind the mountains of the Pelóri, the land was lit with a golden glow, which we knew must be the light of the Two Trees. For a while this distant glimpse was enough to satisfy us, and we were happy. But eventually, we began to long to see the Trees themselves, and also to see our kindred from whom we had been so long parted.

Thus it was now our turn to petition Ulmo, and ask him to convey us somehow to Valinor. And he in turn, by the will of the Valar, called on Ossë, our friend, and commanded him to teach us the art of shipbuilding. Ossë grieved at the command, but he could not disobey it, and thus he helped us to build beautiful white ships to carry us over the waters of Eldamar to the shores of the Undying Lands.

But the waters of Elvenhome were as smooth as glass, for there was not a breath of wind to stir them. And we were dismayed at the thought that we still might not be able to reach the Blessed Realm. But Ossë once again proved his love for us, for even though he did not wish us to leave the Lonely Isle, he would not deny us that one thing that we wanted above all others. So as his final gift to us, he sent many white swans, to draw our ships across the water. So beautiful were these swans, that ever after we constructed our ships in their likeness, that Ossë would know how grateful we were to him.

As we passed over the waters of the bay, Tol Eressëa slowly vanished behind us into the twilight. But for once we were not thinking about what was behind. Nor did we regret leaving our home. For our true home was before us. We had finally come to Valinor.


	11. Alqualondë

Upon alighting on the shores of Valinor, we were conducted by Ulmo through a great pass in the mountains, and we perceived that in the midst of the pass was a high, green hill, and on the crown of the hill was built a fair city, and we thought that this must be the home of the Valar. But Ulmo led us past the hill, and on through the mountains, and in time we came into the full light of the Two Trees of Valinor, and saw the unsurpassed beauty of the Undying Lands.

Then truly we felt that we had never seen beauty before that moment, for everywhere was a green and pleasant land, bathed in the gold and silver glow of Telperion and Laurelin. For the Two Trees we now also beheld, and we now fully understood the desire of Ingwë and Finwë to return to them as quickly as they might, and thus we no longer harboured any resentment towards them for leaving us behind.

Ulmo then conducted us to the wondrous city of Valmar, home of the Valar, and there we were presented to Manwë, Lord of the Valar, and Varda his queen. At first we were overawed to be in the presence of one so mighty, and also to see the Lady of the Stars, responsible for the beauty of the heavens. But then they spoke to us, and welcomed us to the Blessed Realm, and there was such kindness and dignity in their voices, that we forgot to be afraid, and thanked them for their gracious welcome.

Then we perceived that standing near were Ingwë and Finwë, and we rejoiced to finally be reunited with our kindred. And although Finwë grieved at the absence of Elwë, he was scarcely less joyful to see Olwë again, and all three Lords spoke at length with each other, relating their separate histories.

And we discovered that the fair city on the hill in the pass of the Pelóri was the city of the Vanyar, and was called Tirion, while the hill itself was named Túna, and there dwelt Ingwë and his people, while the Noldor dwelt in the green valleys of the pass itself.

But, much as we came to love the land of Valinor, and the Valar themselves, we could never entirely forsake the sea and the stars. And therefore the Valar permitted us to build our own city on the shores of the Bay of Eldamar, where we could still hear the music of the sea and see the light of the stars, yet at the same time could live within the light of the Two Trees, and converse with our kindred.

This city we named Alqualondë, the Haven of the Swans, and from there we sailed our swan-ships on the waters of Eldamar, and became ever more proficient in the arts of sailing and music. And in time our fair city came to rival even the city of Tirion upon Túna, for we built our halls of pearls got from the sea, and adorned them with gems given to us by the Noldor, who were cunning in the art of stone-cutting.

And in time our long sundering from our kindred was as nothing, and Olwë and Finwë became great friends and counselled each other upon many matters, and the Teleri and the Noldor drew together, and shared many secrets of Valinor and the land across the Sundering Seas. For although we had finally reached Valinor, and were content, we never forgot Middle-earth in the East, that had been our home for so long, and we shared our memories of it with the Noldor, and found happiness in remembering a place that had been so beloved.


	12. Epilogue

Finally we have reached Valinor. And we are happy. But the journey has taken us a long time, and we have seen many sights along the way. And although we have some regrets about missing out on so much time in the Blessed Realm, we are also grateful for all that we have seen of the world. We have learnt many things during our crossing of Middle-earth – things that we could not have learnt had we remained at Cuiviénen, naïve in our childhood. But nor could we have learnt them if we had followed our kin directly to the Undying Lands.

Therefore we have learnt not to begrudge the time we spent on our journey, and instead accept it as part of our destiny – a destiny that has finally led us to fulfilment and contentment in the joy and light of Valinor.


End file.
